Insight

In focus

For Getty Images photographer Michael Regan, football culture is as fascinating as the match itself. He’s worked at Champions League finals and done photoshoots with the game’s biggest stars, but the shot that catches his eye is not always taken in the heat of the action. Here he reflects on a chance moment in Stanley Park – and the contrast between a picture of a few kids and their dog having a kickabout and the Champions Journal cover shoot he did with European champion Trent Alexander-Arnold six months earlier.

Additional Content

Kids in Stanley Park (above)

This was taken in Stanley Park, between Goodison Park and Anfield. If I’d turned the camera around a few degrees, you’d have seen Goodison in the background instead. It was the day of the Atlético game against Liverpool in March and I was there nice and early. I just went for a wander outside. I’ve always wanted to see kids playing football in Stanley Park before a game and this was the first time I’d seen it. The dog was actually playing much better than they were.

The background is almost incidental – they weren’t there because it was Anfield. They probably weren’t thinking about the massive game that was coming up. It’s just where they live and Anfield fits into the cityscape. They were just getting on with it. Anfield is a great stadium, it’s been there for more than 100 years and everything is built up around it. It’s not one of these modern stadiums, like Atlético’s new ground for example. The contrast is so big: Atleti’s stadium is out next to a motorway in the middle of nowhere, whereas Anfield is still surrounded by everything Liverpool. There are pictures everywhere based around Anfield, but this is one I had been hoping to take and hadn’t got before. And yeah, the dog helped!

I got into football photography because I was a football fan. When we went to matches as a kid we didn’t just drive in, get out and go to the game. We went to the pubs with my dad and we walked to the ground, so I know how important all that stuff is. It’s not just about the match. It’s easy for people to forget that football is popular because of everything that surrounds it, let alone the 90 minutes.  

A lot of my favourite pictures are of the culture around football and the circumstances that surround matches. Because ultimately that is what it’s about. A lot of the time, getting a result in the match is the cherry on the cake for a fan. It’s about the day out; that’s why people go. These kids probably aren’t going to the match, they’re just having a game of football. This picture is about that culture too.

Trent Alexander-Arnold

I really like this one of him sat on the wall with the Kop in the background. He was great and the club were brilliant. I thought he’d turn up and do 10 or 15 minutes and that would be it, but we could go wherever we wanted. We had plenty of time.

There was a funny moment where they had to hold a tour back so he could come through the tunnel. As we were walking down it you could see people on the tour turn around and do a double take when they realised it was Trent Alexander-Arnold. But he took that in his stride. I asked him what it was like being famous, because it was really surreal watching how people reacted to him. He just said, “Yeah, you get used to it pretty quickly.”  He also said he found it odd being on the pitch with Anfield empty. It was strange for him to have the run of the place.

Got a question for Michael about photography? Send it to us at info@champions-journal.com and we’ll put the best to him

Kids in Stanley Park (above)

This was taken in Stanley Park, between Goodison Park and Anfield. If I’d turned the camera around a few degrees, you’d have seen Goodison in the background instead. It was the day of the Atlético game against Liverpool in March and I was there nice and early. I just went for a wander outside. I’ve always wanted to see kids playing football in Stanley Park before a game and this was the first time I’d seen it. The dog was actually playing much better than they were.

The background is almost incidental – they weren’t there because it was Anfield. They probably weren’t thinking about the massive game that was coming up. It’s just where they live and Anfield fits into the cityscape. They were just getting on with it. Anfield is a great stadium, it’s been there for more than 100 years and everything is built up around it. It’s not one of these modern stadiums, like Atlético’s new ground for example. The contrast is so big: Atleti’s stadium is out next to a motorway in the middle of nowhere, whereas Anfield is still surrounded by everything Liverpool. There are pictures everywhere based around Anfield, but this is one I had been hoping to take and hadn’t got before. And yeah, the dog helped!

I got into football photography because I was a football fan. When we went to matches as a kid we didn’t just drive in, get out and go to the game. We went to the pubs with my dad and we walked to the ground, so I know how important all that stuff is. It’s not just about the match. It’s easy for people to forget that football is popular because of everything that surrounds it, let alone the 90 minutes.  

A lot of my favourite pictures are of the culture around football and the circumstances that surround matches. Because ultimately that is what it’s about. A lot of the time, getting a result in the match is the cherry on the cake for a fan. It’s about the day out; that’s why people go. These kids probably aren’t going to the match, they’re just having a game of football. This picture is about that culture too.

Trent Alexander-Arnold

I really like this one of him sat on the wall with the Kop in the background. He was great and the club were brilliant. I thought he’d turn up and do 10 or 15 minutes and that would be it, but we could go wherever we wanted. We had plenty of time.

There was a funny moment where they had to hold a tour back so he could come through the tunnel. As we were walking down it you could see people on the tour turn around and do a double take when they realised it was Trent Alexander-Arnold. But he took that in his stride. I asked him what it was like being famous, because it was really surreal watching how people reacted to him. He just said, “Yeah, you get used to it pretty quickly.”  He also said he found it odd being on the pitch with Anfield empty. It was strange for him to have the run of the place.

Got a question for Michael about photography? Send it to us at info@champions-journal.com and we’ll put the best to him

Read the full story
Sign up now to get access to this and every premium feature on Champions Journal. You will also get access to member-only competitions and offers. And you get all of that completely free!

Kids in Stanley Park (above)

This was taken in Stanley Park, between Goodison Park and Anfield. If I’d turned the camera around a few degrees, you’d have seen Goodison in the background instead. It was the day of the Atlético game against Liverpool in March and I was there nice and early. I just went for a wander outside. I’ve always wanted to see kids playing football in Stanley Park before a game and this was the first time I’d seen it. The dog was actually playing much better than they were.

The background is almost incidental – they weren’t there because it was Anfield. They probably weren’t thinking about the massive game that was coming up. It’s just where they live and Anfield fits into the cityscape. They were just getting on with it. Anfield is a great stadium, it’s been there for more than 100 years and everything is built up around it. It’s not one of these modern stadiums, like Atlético’s new ground for example. The contrast is so big: Atleti’s stadium is out next to a motorway in the middle of nowhere, whereas Anfield is still surrounded by everything Liverpool. There are pictures everywhere based around Anfield, but this is one I had been hoping to take and hadn’t got before. And yeah, the dog helped!

I got into football photography because I was a football fan. When we went to matches as a kid we didn’t just drive in, get out and go to the game. We went to the pubs with my dad and we walked to the ground, so I know how important all that stuff is. It’s not just about the match. It’s easy for people to forget that football is popular because of everything that surrounds it, let alone the 90 minutes.  

A lot of my favourite pictures are of the culture around football and the circumstances that surround matches. Because ultimately that is what it’s about. A lot of the time, getting a result in the match is the cherry on the cake for a fan. It’s about the day out; that’s why people go. These kids probably aren’t going to the match, they’re just having a game of football. This picture is about that culture too.

Trent Alexander-Arnold

I really like this one of him sat on the wall with the Kop in the background. He was great and the club were brilliant. I thought he’d turn up and do 10 or 15 minutes and that would be it, but we could go wherever we wanted. We had plenty of time.

There was a funny moment where they had to hold a tour back so he could come through the tunnel. As we were walking down it you could see people on the tour turn around and do a double take when they realised it was Trent Alexander-Arnold. But he took that in his stride. I asked him what it was like being famous, because it was really surreal watching how people reacted to him. He just said, “Yeah, you get used to it pretty quickly.”  He also said he found it odd being on the pitch with Anfield empty. It was strange for him to have the run of the place.

Got a question for Michael about photography? Send it to us at info@champions-journal.com and we’ll put the best to him

Insight

In focus

For Getty Images photographer Michael Regan, football culture is as fascinating as the match itself. He’s worked at Champions League finals and done photoshoots with the game’s biggest stars, but the shot that catches his eye is not always taken in the heat of the action. Here he reflects on a chance moment in Stanley Park – and the contrast between a picture of a few kids and their dog having a kickabout and the Champions Journal cover shoot he did with European champion Trent Alexander-Arnold six months earlier.

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Kids in Stanley Park (above)

This was taken in Stanley Park, between Goodison Park and Anfield. If I’d turned the camera around a few degrees, you’d have seen Goodison in the background instead. It was the day of the Atlético game against Liverpool in March and I was there nice and early. I just went for a wander outside. I’ve always wanted to see kids playing football in Stanley Park before a game and this was the first time I’d seen it. The dog was actually playing much better than they were.

The background is almost incidental – they weren’t there because it was Anfield. They probably weren’t thinking about the massive game that was coming up. It’s just where they live and Anfield fits into the cityscape. They were just getting on with it. Anfield is a great stadium, it’s been there for more than 100 years and everything is built up around it. It’s not one of these modern stadiums, like Atlético’s new ground for example. The contrast is so big: Atleti’s stadium is out next to a motorway in the middle of nowhere, whereas Anfield is still surrounded by everything Liverpool. There are pictures everywhere based around Anfield, but this is one I had been hoping to take and hadn’t got before. And yeah, the dog helped!

I got into football photography because I was a football fan. When we went to matches as a kid we didn’t just drive in, get out and go to the game. We went to the pubs with my dad and we walked to the ground, so I know how important all that stuff is. It’s not just about the match. It’s easy for people to forget that football is popular because of everything that surrounds it, let alone the 90 minutes.  

A lot of my favourite pictures are of the culture around football and the circumstances that surround matches. Because ultimately that is what it’s about. A lot of the time, getting a result in the match is the cherry on the cake for a fan. It’s about the day out; that’s why people go. These kids probably aren’t going to the match, they’re just having a game of football. This picture is about that culture too.

Trent Alexander-Arnold

I really like this one of him sat on the wall with the Kop in the background. He was great and the club were brilliant. I thought he’d turn up and do 10 or 15 minutes and that would be it, but we could go wherever we wanted. We had plenty of time.

There was a funny moment where they had to hold a tour back so he could come through the tunnel. As we were walking down it you could see people on the tour turn around and do a double take when they realised it was Trent Alexander-Arnold. But he took that in his stride. I asked him what it was like being famous, because it was really surreal watching how people reacted to him. He just said, “Yeah, you get used to it pretty quickly.”  He also said he found it odd being on the pitch with Anfield empty. It was strange for him to have the run of the place.

Got a question for Michael about photography? Send it to us at info@champions-journal.com and we’ll put the best to him

Kids in Stanley Park (above)

This was taken in Stanley Park, between Goodison Park and Anfield. If I’d turned the camera around a few degrees, you’d have seen Goodison in the background instead. It was the day of the Atlético game against Liverpool in March and I was there nice and early. I just went for a wander outside. I’ve always wanted to see kids playing football in Stanley Park before a game and this was the first time I’d seen it. The dog was actually playing much better than they were.

The background is almost incidental – they weren’t there because it was Anfield. They probably weren’t thinking about the massive game that was coming up. It’s just where they live and Anfield fits into the cityscape. They were just getting on with it. Anfield is a great stadium, it’s been there for more than 100 years and everything is built up around it. It’s not one of these modern stadiums, like Atlético’s new ground for example. The contrast is so big: Atleti’s stadium is out next to a motorway in the middle of nowhere, whereas Anfield is still surrounded by everything Liverpool. There are pictures everywhere based around Anfield, but this is one I had been hoping to take and hadn’t got before. And yeah, the dog helped!

I got into football photography because I was a football fan. When we went to matches as a kid we didn’t just drive in, get out and go to the game. We went to the pubs with my dad and we walked to the ground, so I know how important all that stuff is. It’s not just about the match. It’s easy for people to forget that football is popular because of everything that surrounds it, let alone the 90 minutes.  

A lot of my favourite pictures are of the culture around football and the circumstances that surround matches. Because ultimately that is what it’s about. A lot of the time, getting a result in the match is the cherry on the cake for a fan. It’s about the day out; that’s why people go. These kids probably aren’t going to the match, they’re just having a game of football. This picture is about that culture too.

Trent Alexander-Arnold

I really like this one of him sat on the wall with the Kop in the background. He was great and the club were brilliant. I thought he’d turn up and do 10 or 15 minutes and that would be it, but we could go wherever we wanted. We had plenty of time.

There was a funny moment where they had to hold a tour back so he could come through the tunnel. As we were walking down it you could see people on the tour turn around and do a double take when they realised it was Trent Alexander-Arnold. But he took that in his stride. I asked him what it was like being famous, because it was really surreal watching how people reacted to him. He just said, “Yeah, you get used to it pretty quickly.”  He also said he found it odd being on the pitch with Anfield empty. It was strange for him to have the run of the place.

Got a question for Michael about photography? Send it to us at info@champions-journal.com and we’ll put the best to him

Read the full story
Sign up now to get access to this and every premium feature on Champions Journal. You will also get access to member-only competitions and offers. And you get all of that completely free!

Kids in Stanley Park (above)

This was taken in Stanley Park, between Goodison Park and Anfield. If I’d turned the camera around a few degrees, you’d have seen Goodison in the background instead. It was the day of the Atlético game against Liverpool in March and I was there nice and early. I just went for a wander outside. I’ve always wanted to see kids playing football in Stanley Park before a game and this was the first time I’d seen it. The dog was actually playing much better than they were.

The background is almost incidental – they weren’t there because it was Anfield. They probably weren’t thinking about the massive game that was coming up. It’s just where they live and Anfield fits into the cityscape. They were just getting on with it. Anfield is a great stadium, it’s been there for more than 100 years and everything is built up around it. It’s not one of these modern stadiums, like Atlético’s new ground for example. The contrast is so big: Atleti’s stadium is out next to a motorway in the middle of nowhere, whereas Anfield is still surrounded by everything Liverpool. There are pictures everywhere based around Anfield, but this is one I had been hoping to take and hadn’t got before. And yeah, the dog helped!

I got into football photography because I was a football fan. When we went to matches as a kid we didn’t just drive in, get out and go to the game. We went to the pubs with my dad and we walked to the ground, so I know how important all that stuff is. It’s not just about the match. It’s easy for people to forget that football is popular because of everything that surrounds it, let alone the 90 minutes.  

A lot of my favourite pictures are of the culture around football and the circumstances that surround matches. Because ultimately that is what it’s about. A lot of the time, getting a result in the match is the cherry on the cake for a fan. It’s about the day out; that’s why people go. These kids probably aren’t going to the match, they’re just having a game of football. This picture is about that culture too.

Trent Alexander-Arnold

I really like this one of him sat on the wall with the Kop in the background. He was great and the club were brilliant. I thought he’d turn up and do 10 or 15 minutes and that would be it, but we could go wherever we wanted. We had plenty of time.

There was a funny moment where they had to hold a tour back so he could come through the tunnel. As we were walking down it you could see people on the tour turn around and do a double take when they realised it was Trent Alexander-Arnold. But he took that in his stride. I asked him what it was like being famous, because it was really surreal watching how people reacted to him. He just said, “Yeah, you get used to it pretty quickly.”  He also said he found it odd being on the pitch with Anfield empty. It was strange for him to have the run of the place.

Got a question for Michael about photography? Send it to us at info@champions-journal.com and we’ll put the best to him

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